Registration now open for 2019-20 NHL/NHLPA First Shift program

Do you have a child aged 6-10 years who is ready to fall in love with hockey? Registration is now open for the 2019-20 NHL/NHLPA First Shift program.

The First Shift is a truly unique experience for new-to-hockey families, designed to help your child fall in love with hockey before you buy all the gear. The six-week learn to play program focuses on having fun while learnin Blog g basic skills. Registration is just $199, which includes full head-to-toe equipment.

The First Shift will be offered in eight locations across Alberta in the fall, and another three locations in the winter:

Fall Programs:

• Brooks
• Grande Prairie
• Calgary (Wednesday sessions)
• Calgary (Saturday sessions)
• Edmonton
• Leduc
• Lethbridge
• Onoway
• Strathcona

Winter Programs:

• Calgary
• Edmonton
• Ponoka

To register for a First Shift program near you, click here.

The First Shift’s mission is to change the way hockey is offered, to inspire new families to join our community and enrol their kids in our sport. Because we believe in all that hockey has to offer kids, their families and our communities, we designed The First Shift to break down barriers to entry by offering a program that is accessible, affordable, and most importantly, fun!

CALGARY - Five members of Team Alberta’s 2017 U16 Male squad have earned the opportunity to suit up for Team Canada’s National Men’s Summer U18 Team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August.

Defenceman Kaiden Guhle (Sherwood Park), and forwards Ridly Greig (Lethbridge), Connor McClennon (Wainwright), Jake Neighbours (Airdrie) and Ozzy Wiesblatt (Calgary) are among the 22 players selected to represent Canada for the annual international under-18 tournament.

Hockey Canada finalized its roster Tuesday following a five-day selection camp that saw 44 players participate in on and off-ice sessions, including three intrasquad games, at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

The 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup runs August 5-10 in Breclav, Czech Republic and Piestany, Slovakia.

RED DEER - Twenty-Eight 2002 and 2003-born female athletes from Alberta are one step closer to representing their province in November.

Hockey Alberta has announced its shortlist roster for the Team Alberta U18 Female squad that will participate in the 2019 U18 National Championships in Morden and Winkler, MB. The shortlist includes three goaltenders, nine defencemen, and 16 forwards.

TEAM ALBERTA U18 FEMALE SHORTLIST ROSTER >

Players were selected to the shortlist based on their overall play throughout the Team Alberta scouting process, past Team Alberta programs, and at the U18 Summer Camp in Red Deer, July 9-14. Sixty-Eight players were invited to Red Deer, and worked through high intensity on-ice sessions, as well as off-ice training and classroom sessions.

“The talent and character of these players always makes it tough to select a shortlist, but we are very confident in the 28 players we have selected,” said Kendall Newell, Manager of Female Hockey. “We look forward to seeing all of these players again in September for Fall Camp.”

The shortlisted players will be scouted with their club teams in the fall, and meet in Edmonton for Fall Camp September 27-29, prior to final decisions on the 20 players selected to the Team Alberta roster. The 2019 U18 National Championship Tournament runs November 3-9 in Morden and Winkler, MB.

CALGARY - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce recently inducted Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame member Theoren Fleury as the keynote speaker for the 2019 Coach Conference in Calgary. Fleury will be joining an esteemed group of speakers, including Geoff Ward, Associate Coach of the Calgary Flames.

Fleury was one of the most competitive players on the ice over the course of his 15-year National Hockey League career, and a member of the 1989 Stanley Cup Champion Calgary Flames. Along with his ability on the ice, Theo’s charitable and social wellness endeavours since his retirement have helped solidify his role as a sporting and social leader.

Ward is entering his second season as associate coach with the Flames, after spending three years as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils and prior to that, seven seasons behind the bench with the Boston Bruins in an assistant role.

Other speakers include:

Speaker(s)	Organization	Bio
Mike Shaw & Hunter Visser	HeadStartPro	Mike Shaw, a UBC Okanagan alumni and accomplished coach, comes to us from a background in action sports and freestyle skiing. He’s a subject matter expert in performance coaching and injury prevention. Hunter Visser is a retired world-cup halfpipe skier who came to the field of mental performance and injury prevention training after sustaining a career-ending concussion.Today, Hunter works with regional to Olympic-level coaches, and an equally broad spectrum of multi-sport athletes, helping them improve focus, awareness, and mindfulness to enhance performance and prevent injuries.
Peter Anholt	Lethbridge Hurricanes	Peter Anholt is entering his third full season as the General Manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Anholt is one of 16 WHL coaches to record 400 or more victories, sitting 10th all-time with 466 wins. He has posted an all-time record of 466-487-66 as a Head Coach in the WHL.
Ken Babey	Men’s National Para Hockey Team	Ken Babey is the Head Coach of the National Para Hockey Team. Since 2015, he has led Canada to the world title in 2017 and the silver medal at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Prior to his position with Hockey Canada, Babey spent 27 years as the head coach of the men’s hockey team at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) from 1987-2014.
Wayne Harris	U of C Dinos Football	For nearly 40 years, Wayne Harris has been involved with the Dinos as a player, alumnus, assistant coach, and most recently defensive coordinator. Over the course of his coaching career with the Dinos, Harris has been part of seven Hardy Cup championship teams and participated in four Vanier Cups.
Bert Gilling	Mount Royal University Hockey	Bert Gilling joined Mount Royal as the men’s hockey head coach in 2014. Gilling established a new culture around the team and in his first season, he led the Cougars to their first-ever playoff victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies. He has since won Canada West Coach of the Year two times.
Dean Seymour	Seymour Hockey	Dean Seymour played nine years of pro hockey that saw his career take him from the United States, to Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, highlighted by an invite to the 2001 Spengler Cup. Now in Calgary, Dean spends most of his time working for Hockey Canada developing players by sharing the skills and instruction he has received throughout North America and Europe.

The Hockey Alberta Coach Conference will give coaches of all levels the opportunity to learn about the latest strategies, trends and technologies from some of the most experienced and knowledgeable coaches in the game.

REGISTER >

CALGARY - Six Albertans will head to Calgary in August for Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Development and Under-18 team selection camps.

Forwards Jaden Bogden (Edmonton), Taze Thompson (Sherwood Park) and Sarah Wozniewicz (Cochrane) will attend the BFL National Women’s U18 selection camp, while goaltender Kirsten Chamberlin (Cochrane) and forwards Malia Schneider (Millarville) and Danielle Serdachny (Edmonton) will skate in the BFL National Women’s Development Team selection camp.

Coming off a gold medal at the 2019 Canada Winter Games as the Head Coach of Team Alberta U18 Female, Carla Macleod (Calgary) will serve as an Assistant Coach on the Development Team, while former gold medal-winning Team Alberta U18 coach Howie Draper (Edmonton) will serve as the Head Coach of the Under-18 team.

The BFL National Women’s Development and Under-18 Team selection camps run August 2-11 at the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary. Both teams will compete in a pair of three-game series against the United States in Lake Placid, NY, August 14-17.